Friday, February 24, 2012

Pinterest: Hawaiian Sweet Roll Ham Sammies

I have to say the second I saw these on Pinterest, I was like, YUM! They looked so delicious, and to be honest I am not really a ham person, I much prefer turkey, but you know ham and swiss just go together so I stuck with the recipe and used ham. I found this recipe on Pinterest from Beyer Beware. There is also a similar recipe on The Girl Who Ate Everything, where she uses individual rolls as opposed to the King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. I chose to go with the Sweet Rolls because they taste amazing and it was also much faster than cutting and stuffing 24 individual rolls (you will see what I mean).

 Image from Beyer Beware
I made them for our Super Bowl Party, which is more like a small get-to-gather with friends and we usually have cake for my hubby's birthday. Everyone RAVED about them, and I thought they were really good. I would totally make them again for a party. My husband did not enjoy the sauce over the top, maybe too messy, but I liked them that way. I made a double batch so I just put them on a sheet pan instead of two 9x13s. And really they were SO simple too, it maybe took me 10 minutes to put it all together. I really hope you get a chance to try out this recipe, it is awesome!

Chop up your onion, if you have a food chopper, use it! (By the way, I only used one whole onion instead of two for a double batch, and I thought it was more than enough). Then combine your butter, onion, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and poppy seeds in a sauce and simmer for several minutes.
Then cut your entire package of rolls in half lengthwise. Place the bottoms in a foil lined baking sheet and spread 3/4 of your onion mixture on the rolls.


Then layer your ham and then swiss cheese over the top of the onion mixture. I will be honest I didn't go to the deli and get fresh cut ham and cheese I just bought the regular old packaged stuff and it worked out great! So much cheaper too!


Then place the top half over the rolls and spread the rest of the onion mixture over the top. Cover the entire thing with foil and you can bake or refrigerate until you are ready to bake them. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. Believe me, you will not regret making these. Oh man, I think I want one right now!

Image from Beyer Beware

Sorry not all of the images are mine, I was in a hurry and my pregnancy brain tends to forget a lot of things. But I promise mine looked exactly the same, and that rarely happens!

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Ham Sammies
Servings: 12 rolls

1 package of 12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
1 onion, chopped finely
1 stick of butter
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 teaspoons of poppy seeds
1/2 pound of shaved ham
8 slices of swiss cheese

Melt butter in saucepan and add onion. Combine mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and poppy seeds with onion and butter. Simmer for several minutes.
Slice rolls as a group lengthwise and place in a foil lined baking sheet.
Spread 3/4 of the onion mixture over the bottom half of the rolls and top with ham and cheese.
Place roll tops on and spread the remaining onion mixture over the top. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 
I hope you enjoy these! Let us know what you think! What recipes have you tried and loved from Pinterest?

Monday, February 13, 2012

Pinterest: Chicken Broccoli Supreme

I found this recipe on Pinterest via Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake. She has some great recipes, with lots of inspiration, so go check it out. I was interested in trying this recipe because it doesn't use any mayonnaise or cream of chicken soup. Unlike our families version of this recipe called Chicken Divan, this is a staple in our home and a fairly simple casserole. When my brother returned home from his mission, Chicken Divan was his meal of choice. Too funny. I will have to post our Chicken Divan recipe later.

So this recipe is quite similar in that you have your veggie, chicken, sauce, cheese and crumb topping. I liked this recipe because I felt like it was a little healthier for our family without all the fat or mayo and cream of chicken soup. My husband liked it, but I think he still prefers Chicken Divan so see what you think. I know there are a lot of people out there who HATE using cream of anything soups, so this is a great alternative for you. I definitely suggest that you give it a try!

Make your sauce using butter, cornstarch and water, chicken broth, milk, salt and pepper and cheese. Sounds like a good sauce to me!


Once your chicken is cooked cut it up. How do you like to cook your chicken. I boiled my chicken for a long time, because I could just throw the frozen chicken breasts in and I didn't have to wait to thaw it. But I have learned that chicken just doesn't taste great that way. Thaw your chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag in cold water for a few hours. Then rinse them, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread some olive oil, salt and pepper on them and bake at 350 for about 25-30 min. or until juices run clear. It adds great flavor for chicken in a casserole.

I used frozen broccoli and just steamed it for a few minutes and then I layered the broccoli and chicken in the pan. Add the sauce and the rest of the cheese over the top. Then finish it off with your Ritz, poppy seed and butter mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 min. I actually only made half a batch of this recipe and it could easily feed 4 maybe even 6.

FRENCH CHICKEN BROCCOLI SUPREME
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:
1 – lb. fresh broccoli Break in pieces, and steam for 2 minutes.
3 cups cooked chicken breasts – Break up in small pieces
3 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese divided
2 tubes Ritz Crackers
1 stick melted butter
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
 
SAUCE:
1/3 C. Butter melted
1/4 C. Cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 C. COLD Water
1/3 C. Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 Cups Milk
1 1/2 cups of the above Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
In greased 13×9 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside. In saucepan over medium heat, combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low, and add 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese.
Melt the butter, and add the poppy seeds, and stir well. Crush Ritz crackers in large zip-lock bag with a rolling pin. Don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
Eat and enjoy!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe comes from my Young Women's President back in high school who did a dinner exchange each week with my family and few other families. This was one of the meals that she would bring. It is a great Sunday meal at our house because I can put it in the crock pot before church and finish it up as soon as we get home. The use of toasted english muffins for the crust make it probably the easiest chicken pot pie ever! No stress about rolling out the crust and all that other stuff, just ladle your chicken mixture over your english muffin and start eating!

Really, this is one of my husband's favorite meals! And although he will eat pretty much anything, there are few things that he actually will ask for and this is one of them. And it really makes a lot. I usually invite people over for dinner when I make it and I don't even have to double recipe. Plus it reheats well, you just reheat the chicken mixture in the microwave, toast an english muffin while you are waiting and you are done.



Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie
Servings: 6-8

4 Chicken Breasts             Diced potatoes
diced carrots                      1/2 - 1 tsp garlic salt
black pepper                     salt
onion                                2 cans cream of chicken soup
frozen peas                       chicken broth or milk
english muffins

Fill cooker 2/3 full of cut up vegetables  Lay chicken breasts on top.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, salt, pepper, and onion.  pour on 2 cans of cream of chicken soup.  Cook 4 –5 hours on high.  Stir together and shred meat.  Add frozen peas and thin with broth or milk as desired.  Heat another 20-30 minutes.  Serve over toasted english muffins.

I have always thinned with milk as I like it creamy, but I am sure that it would be great thinned with chicken broth as well. I hope you get a chance to try this recipe let me know how it turns out!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Our Best Bites Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Here at Tried & True, we are HUGE fans of Kate and Sara over at Our Best Bites. They have amazing recipes! If you have never visited their site, it is a great for recipe ideas, or if you have always been a little cautious about trying new recipes OBB is a great place to start. My mom and I both have their cookbook and have used many recipes out of it. These Creamy Chicken Taquitos really are a great recipe and fairly simple to make. Plus, they are baked instead of fried, cutting down of so many calories!

Have you heard about the trick of putting your cooked chicken into a KitchenAid with the paddle attachment to get perfectly shredded chicken? It is all over pinterest. I have done this so many times since I saw the idea! The biggest time saver! And can I say cleaner. You don't have to wait for the chicken to cool down to use your hands and you don't have to try and pull it apart with two forks. Just toss it in the KitchenAid while it is still hot, turn it on, and within a minute or two your chicken is perfectly shredded.

Anyway, these are a great meal in our family with just three of us we can eat them for dinner and then hubby and I have them for lunch the next day as well. Definitely worth trying!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
From Our Best Bites
Serving: 12-16 taquitos

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small flour or corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or Sara suggests this dressing.

Easy Tortellini Dinner

I searched for some different ways to make Tortellini, I looked all through pinterest but I wasn't really finding just what I wanted. I also wanted a meal that could go together fairly quickly, because some nights you just don't have time in the kitchen. So I took inspiration from a few different recipes to create my own. The hubby really seemed to enjoy it and I was happy with the end result. The great thing is, you can change this recipe depending on what you have on hand with veggies and cheeses. Mine was pretty basic, but it tasted great and the leftovers were just as good.

First fry up some bacon......

Or pop it in the microwave, whichever is easier. I like to cut the bacon into chunks first and then fry it in the skillet, you definitely want it crispy to add some crunch to your pasta. Place the cooked bacon on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the rest of the grease and set aside.

While your bacon is frying, boil your water and get your tortellini cooking. Just follow packaged directions. I bought this family sized packaged of refrigerated Cheese-filled Tortellini. I used half the package and froze the other half to use for later. This way you can buy the tortellini a little cheaper and use it for two meals, or one depending on how many you need to feed.

Drain your pasta once it is cooked completely and return to your pot. Now add some Alfredo sauce. To make it easy I used half a jar of store bought Alfredo, but if you have more time make your own and it will add more flavor to your pasta. Then add in some cheese, I used mozzarella, like 1 or 2 handfuls. Then add in your bacon and some frozen peas (just eye-ball it) and lastly, salt and pepper to taste. Tortellini is such a hearty and filling meal you won't be able to eat too much.


Easy Tortellini Dinner
Servings: 4

4 slices of Bacon
1 pkg. Refrigerated Tortellini
1 jar of Alfredo Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Frozen Peas
Salt and Pepper

Cook bacon and crumble. Set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add Alfredo sauce, cheese, cooked bacon, frozen peas and salt and pepper. Cook until heated through. Serve with a salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!
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